Abhay Verma (27)Actor
Before Abhay Verma ever stood on a film set, he would spend hours watching interviews. Not films, not performances, but conversations. He observed how actors spoke about fear, failure, ambition and patience. Those interviews became his acting school, shaping not just how he wanted to perform, but also how he wanted to live.
Somewhere between those watch sessions and a belief in manifestation, Verma decided he would one day work with superstar Shah Rukh Khan. He didn’t announce or chase it loudly. He simply trusted time. Today, as he prepares for King, a film that brings him closer to the actor he once studied from afar, that belief feels almost predictive.
Raised in Panipat, Verma came to Mumbai knowing that acting was not a traditional career option. It was a leap of faith, he says. “You put a blindfold on and just walk.” What followed were years of featuring in ads, short films and making small appearances, roles many would dismiss as insignificant. Verma never did. “There’s no such thing as a small role,” he tells Forbes India. “Every ad, every second on screen added something to me. If I had missed even one, Munjya wouldn’t have been possible.”
Munjya (2024) changed the course of his career. Director Aditya Sarpotdar recalls being impressed not just by Verma’s performance, but also by who he was behind the camera. “He came in deeply rooted, polite and cultured… carrying himself with quiet respect for the craft and for everyone around him,” says the filmmaker. “It’s rare to come across a young actor who brings together humility and hunger in equal measure.”
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When Munjya released, Verma went to the theatres to surprise audiences—a common ritual for actors. What followed stunned him. People who didn’t know him personally recognised him, calling out his character’s name, Bittu. “That’s when I felt it deeply. This is where I belong. That kind of love is pure. It doesn’t care where you’re from,” he says.
The hallmark of his performances had always been a high level of emotional depth. From doing a small but effective role in The Family Man to playing a transgender in his debut film, Safed (2023), Verma has never feared vulnerability. The 27-year-old believes there is a strong connect between an actor’s personal truth and their work. “If you don’t live your own journey fully, you can’t live someone else’s truth on screen,” he says.
Interestingly, waiting has been one of his boldest creative gambles. After shooting for Munjya, Verma did not take on new projects for almost a year, with little financial security to fall back on. “For a young actor in Mumbai, time is the biggest gamble,” he says. “But I trusted the process—and God.”
That balance of patience and ambition is something Sarpotdar believes sets the actor apart. “Abhay worked relentlessly, asked the right questions, listened more than he spoke and not once took any moment for granted. That combination of sincerity and hunger is rare… it will take him a long way.”
Verma’s daily life is mundane: He does grocery shopping, cleans his apartment, and sits with his mom over tea and biscuits. His family, including his brother in the Army, are his anchors. “Acting is important,” he says, “but it’s not the most important job in the world.”
The actor has high hopes from 2026. His projects include King, JC opposite Shanaya Kapoor, Laikey Laikaa with Rasha Thadani, and a show, Safed Sagar, on Netflix. “I don’t work for money, I work for recognition,” Verma says. “If people remember my characters and call me by their names, that’s success.” For him, branding isn’t manufactured; it’s earned. “Become a better actor first,” he adds. “Everything else follows.”
First Published: Jan 13, 2026, 12:08
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